People have been eating insects in South East Asia – and on I’m A Celebrity for years, but now the practice is going mainstream as a protein bar made with ground crickets hits shop shelves.

Available online and at select food stores in London for £18 for a box of eight, the makers of Crobar say it is an ‘all natural protein bar made with peanut and cricket flour’.

Crobar founder Christine Spliid, originally from Denmark but living in London, created the protein bars after learning about the health benefits of eating insects while she traveled the world, in particular South East Asia.

According to the Crobar website, gathrfoods.com, crickets are as high in protein as beef but contain more iron, magnesium and zinc, plus they offer all nine essential amino acids and high levels of Vitamin B12.

It said eating insects is also more environmentally friendly.

Christine explained on the site: ‘It is indisputable that current meat production is unsustainable, and we need to seriously look at other food and protein sources.

‘Farming insects is much more sustainable than farming cattle and chicken, and there is no rational reason why we don’t already eat insects in the West.’

But this bug-packed treat is relatively tame compared with the array of bizarre-flavoured snacks on offer around the world from wasabi Kit Kats and pizza slushies to spaghetti Bolognese ice lollies.

If a cricket flour protein bar isn’t too much for you to stomach, the raw horse meat ice cream available in Japan almost certainly will be. FEMAIL examines the strangest snacks in supermarkets around the world.